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| Market in Mina |
Hajj is not just a spiritual journey it is also big business. This has always been the case,
the Prophet Mohammed was a trader and the Quran mentions trade as a way to finance Hajj.
Not a lot has changed in the past one thousand years, many pilgrims particularly those from poorer
countries in Africa and Eastern Europe, pay their way by selling goods.
They set up roadside stalls selling everything from food and drinks to religious items and consumer goods.
The African market in Mina is a mile long and sells everything from eggs, goat and dried fish to toys
and traditional African clothing.
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| Pilgrims buying souvenirs in Mina |
Many pilgrims start plying their trade en-route to Hajj. Arab News reports a group of Dagestani pilgrims
came via Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Syria and Jordan - arriving in Mecca after a gruelling 5,000-km trip
selling their wares along the way.
Many of the traders come from Russia with bags of wares including watches, binoculars, silverware, crystal
and jewellery for sale.
You see Pakistani women selling colourful scarves, each at SAR 10 (£1.60) to mostly Pakistani and Indian
customers who are enjoying haggling.
Many pilgrims buy souvenirs for family and friends to remind them of Hajj.
" Everything that is available here is also available in our
country. It is the occasion, the place and the circumstances in which
these things were bought that give the items value," says one Nigerian
pilgrim.
Everyone seems to be making a buck at the Hajj. Authorities estimate SAR 13 billion (£21.5 million)
will be withdrawn from cash point machines in Saudi Arabia during Hajj and Eid festivities.
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| Mobile phones keep pilgrims in touch with home |
Cell phones are another popular items for pilgrims, sales of mobile phones have risen by up to 50% since
the Hajj season began.
Even taxi drivers are making a killing, with some fares costing six times the norm. In Jeddah, a nearby
port city there is a brisk trade in Hajj-related merchandise including dates, paper glasses and plates,
plastic spoons, prayer mats, perfumes, ihram, slippers, prayer beads, scarves and abayas.
Trading hajjis help keep their fellow pilgrims fed, travelling through the crowd with carts of rice, fruit, tea and snacks.
There are more than 6,500 fast food shops in Mina alone and dozens of bakeries churning out five million
loaves a day cater for the pilgrims. And all of them are doing a roaring business.
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| Distributing free meals in Arafat |
Even without the fast food shops and market traders the pilgrims would not go hungry. By the
end of the week government agencies will have distributed more than four million cold meals and 1.5 million hot meals.
Meal packets include four dishes in addition to a drink and are gratefully received particularly
by pilgrims from poorer countries.
With all this commerce it is a wonder pilgrims can afford the Hajj.
The generosity of their hosts helps many survive, literally. By the
end of the week Saudi Arabia's King Fahd will have donated 50,000,000
bags of water to the pilgrims.
Some things at Hajj are still free after all.
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Live at the Hajj